Foot problems and the corresponding costs associated with foot care cost millions of dollars per year, just in the United States. In cases where the foot problem is debilitating for particular activities, hours of work time also can be lost. Foot problems can arise from medical conditions, work conditions requiring standing or walking, athletic activities, and/or leisure activity. Examples are pain in the ball of the foot because of a prominent metatarsal head, metatarsal deformity, intractable skin lesions on the plantar foot, bunions, warts, calluses and corns, and loss of fat pad of the ball of foot or heel associated with aging. Accommodative orthotics and inserts are the best conservative long term treatment, however many insurance policies do not pay for them unless they are made for treating a sudden injury (as opposed to a repetitive injury) or underlying risks associated with diabetes.
Pedorthics is the art concerned with the design, manufacture, fit, and modification of footwear and foot appliances as prescribed for relief of painful or disabling conditions of the foot. For those who practice any level of pedorthics, the goal is to provide protection and comfort to the consumer/patient. One of the primary ways of achieving this has been to reduce pressure at the greatest areas of impact. This has historically been accomplished with orthotics and/or external modifications to footwear.
One conventional method for providing protection and comfort to a consumer or patient is to use insoles inserted into footwear to cushion the sole of the foot. Health care providers (doctors and orthotists) are constantly modifying insoles for patients to accommodate painful areas of patient's feet. Often times doctors and orthotists use pads or make their own cut outs to accomplish this. There also are products that reduce pressure comprising removable insole that fits inside a shoe having selectively exchangeable arch inserts or heel inserts. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,508,017, and 7,770,309. There exists a need for a efficient and low cost system for customizing insoles to relieve specific pressure points for an individual.